Malian President Commissions Work on AfDB-funded Road Project

Work on the Sékokoto-Bafing et Bafing - Kéniéba – Falémé roads in Mali, funded by the African Development Bank Group, was commissioned on Sunday, December 21, 2008, in Kéniéba by the country’s president, Amadou Toumani Touré.

The road work falls within the framework of the country’s road improvement and transport facilitation programme on the Bamao-Dakar corridor which is partly financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group. The programme aims at strengthening economic integration efforts and sub-regional cooperation among member countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) and the Economic Commission for West African States (ECOWAS). The project is also expected to open up rural parts of the countries involved.

The project is estimated at UA 200.80 million (about US$ 300 million as of December 2008 exchange rate) and the AfDB is providing UA 58.16 million (about US$ 90 million), including UA 49.810 million (about US$ 75 million) to Mali.

Work on the section that has been commissioned will cover some 229 km and is funded by the AfDB (75 %), the West African Development Bank (14 %) and the Malian government (11%).

The AfDB was represented at the event by its resident representative in Mali.